108 In Need Of Rescue (infuriating grill spring story)

Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:05 pm

I know where there's a CC 108 sitting out in the weather that I'm thinking about trying to talk the guy out of. The "search box" here does not seem to recognize numerals and so when I type in "108" in hopes of finding previous 108 threads in the archives I get no results. Anyone here care to share any information about the model 108?Steve W

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:47 pm

The search feature requires four or more characters in order to work. Go to "Advance Search" and type in 108* and then in the "Search in forums:" section click on "Cub Cadet Forum" and then click on "search" at the bottom of the page. That will give you 19 posts about the 108.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:14 pm

Oh, the asterisk does makes the difference for sure. Thanks, I would not have known to type in 108* ...It's not like I need another project right now but I'm tired of spending more time and money working on trying to keep my home depot mower running than I spend mowing with it so I figure I might as well be spending the time on fixing up a Cub Cadet. The Cub and the A need a more suitable running mate than a "Snapper" anyway!Steve W

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:43 pm

Steve:

Let us know if you get the 108. They are a nice Cub Cadet. My buddy Gord has refreshed his 108 that he got from an acquaintance of his that he had been trying to get for 35 years Totally redid the QA-36A for it and it really is a strong machine.

Oh, I have all the manuals for the 108 should you need them.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:30 pm

Thanks Rudi, I'll keep those manuals in mind. He balked at my first low ball offer but I think we can probably come to some sort of reasonable terms. We didn't have a lot of time to dicker that day. Supposedly it runs but it looks like it's been sitting for quite awhile. It looks complete. The sheet metal looks good. If I can talk him out of this little tractor I'll get some photos posted.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:49 pm

What's wrong with a Snapper? Took 40 years to wear out #2. First one would not adapt to later model leaf bagger. Must not be a rear engine model.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Sun Oct 23, 2011 8:50 pm

No, it's not the rear engine model. I wish it was, especially since the original Snappin' Turtle began just a few miles down the road from here. The Snapper I have is a front engine model LE1642H and when I got it in trade a few years ago for some work I did it wasn't all that old but it had been rode hard with little to no maintainance. It has a wiring scheme WAY too complicated for a lawn mower. If you'd get off to move a stick out of your path it would shut down. If you would hold your mouth the wrong way it would shut down. If you would scratch your ass and reach for your beer at the same time it would shut down!!! Once I got rid of all those unnecessary wires and switches and replaced most of the moving parts I had a machine I could mow with for a couple of years...until the ethanol fouled up the carburator recently. I thought I had that fixed with a new needle valve and some StaBil but now the carb is screwed up again. I'm sick of working on it and when the hydro trans and the solenoid deck engagement electronic gizmos fail for the final time all I will have left will be a pile of junk not worth hauling to the landfill. I'm thinking that if I have to spend more time working on an old worn out piece of crap than actually using it I might as well be restoring a classic garden tractor with a real gear transmission, an engine you can get at, and a minimal amount of electrical doo dads (although the 108 does have a cigarette lighter) rather than a disposable piece of plastic junk designed for some rich man's wife to drive around the yard on Sundays for a season.Anyone wanna buy a Snapper LE1642H?

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:05 pm

No, but have you ever tried out a Snapper rear engine 14hp. 42" cut? They were a piece of work too. Three blades were too much for them, my guess is the 41" 2 blade was a better mower.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:20 pm

Does the 108 have the creeper tranny??? I have two cc108's and both came with the creeper tranny and i was wondering if thats the norm withy the 108's. Nice machine I like it.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:29 pm

Bill:

Gord's 108 did not have the creeper gear. Thanks to one our our members (yeah Rick that be you ) he now has his creeper gear which is really needed for throwing snow or roto-tilling etc., The creeper gear was an option from all that I understand and was not the norm.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:41 pm

Rudi; I knew it was an option but i just wondered it they changed and added it in every 108. Thanks for straightening that out for me. All of a sudden i see 108's with creepers had me wondering. My cc108 and my 1200 are very comfortable to operate because i'm a tad larger than most people. I feel too big on the narrow frames but i do enjoy them. After all i'm a moving weight box right? Don't tell my cub buddy's but i think i have a blast on the cub cadets running them. Bill

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:48 pm

My cc104 sat in a shed from when it was a few years old then it was put outside only because of bad/old gas. I purchased it with a 38'' mower and a non cc 54'' snowplow. I only wanted it for the plow. When i got it home t took it apart and removed the head and free'd up the stuck exhaust valve, put on a new head gasket, cleaned the points, replaced the gummed up carb and gas tank and she fired right up. The bore still had the honing stone marks in it so that tells me the 104 was parked at a young age. After a few times starting it and letting her run she ran like a brand new cadet. I did change the oil and loaded it up with seafoam in the gas tank and crankcase (upper lube & free's stuck rings and reseats them). I wire brushed the whole tractor and painted her up. Greased and sharpened the mower deck and been using it often now.

My point is don't pass up any of these cadets that are sitting. Most of the time 99.99% they are parked because of bad gas. Bill

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:07 pm

BigBill wrote:My point is don't pass up any of these cadets that are sitting. Most of the time 99.99% they are parked because of bad gas.

There is a reason a garden tractor has been sitting for a while. Some times an expensive reason or two.

Before you purchase the 108, find out what Cub Cadet parts tractors go for in your area.

Just my opinion. If it doesn't run, it's a parts tractor. Check the condition of the mower deck. Spindles are expensive.

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:26 am

We need to consider the attachments that come with it too. My first cc108 was $150 also and it ran plus it came with a 42" mower deck. It had some blowby but seafoam cut it down to almost nothing. But my point is the attachments go for $150 each on average so i could always bail out money wise and get it back if i parted it out. But i been using it for 4+ years now for only $150. The creeper tranny didn't work because the spirol pin was too long on the pinion gear. Once i cut it to the correct size it works now. Plus there's all the help you need here and a flood of parts on ebay too. My other non running cc108 cost me $150 too but it came with a snowblower and a 38" mower deck, plus a $200 creeper tranny too. I did start it up and she runs but its sitting. To me any non running cub cadet is worth a $100 to $150 if it has attachments with it. Parts is parts and if it runs thats a big plus too.

Note; Every running cub cadet i purchased needed a new head gasket......

Last edited by Rudi on Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:edited for inappropriate language

Re: 108 In Need Of Rescue

Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:43 pm

Well, I was probably too overly eager to own a Cub Cadet and should have looked it over more closely. The black spray paint someone once uglied it up with is bad enough but now that i have drug it home I'm thinking the engine must be blown. I've known this guy for a few years now and when he said it was running when he parked it I believed him enough to give him $250 for it:

When I manually turn the belt on the generator/starter it moves easily with no resistance as in no compression. I pulled the spark plug and if that's the top of the piston I'm looking at it's at top dead center and did not move when I spun the starter/generator with a jump off a battery. Even if it has a thrown connecting rod it seems like the crankshaft should offer more resistance than this. Or am I missing out on something here? Is there some sort of centrifical clutch pulley that is not engaginging the engine?